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Friday, January 9, 2015

HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT?

Epicurians will say we should enjoy life and eat as much as
possible in our life time. The Stoics on the other hand will say that we should live a frugal
life, eat as little as possible to survive and be immune to pleasure , pain and
suffering.

There are others who say that we should LIVE TO EAT and yet others
will tell us that we should EAT TO LIVE.

From the net I got the following information.

quotePeople today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need
to. This means that they're constantly taking in more calories than their bodies
can burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don't realize that we're eating too much
because we've become so used to seeing (and eating!) large portions.Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been ballooning ever
since. Take bagels, for example: 20 years ago, the average bagel had a 3-inch
diameter and 140 calories. Today, bagels often have a 6-inch diameter and 350
calories. One bagel that size actually contains half a person's recommended
number of grain servings for an entire day!The price of such overabundance is high. It's common knowledge that people
who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. But they also risk
getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping
problems, and even depression. Later in life, people who overeat are at greater
risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food
than is necessary: Customers love to feel like they're getting the best value
for their money! But the value meal is no deal when it triples our calories and
sets the stage for health problems.

unquote

I generally eat very moderately. But after some days of moderate eating the
temptation to eat a full stomach overcomes me. On one such day, I was
walking on MG Road and saw a menu board on the sidewalk in front of a
restaurant with the word KABSA. I was curious. I went in and asked the man at
the counter about the word KABSA. He explained to me that it is a delicious
biriyani eaten by the people of Arabia.
I couldn’t control myself. So I ordered a plate of chicken kabsa and ate a
stomach full. I felt sick due to over eating, tired and sleepy too. With great
difficulty I got up, paid the bill and went to Lourdes Hospital to meet a friend
who was admitted there for heart
ailment.

Since I was feeling sick due to over eating, I went to the
cafeteria in the hospital, bought a cup of coffee and sat at one of the round
tables and started sipping the coffee.
My attention was caught by a slim middle aged woman who briskly walked towards
my table and sat on a chair. She looked at me but I pretended to look the other
way. She quickly took out a stainless steel container and a small plastic
container. She opened them and I saw the stainless steel container had plain
boiled rice and the small plastic container had some vegetable curry. Once
again she looked at me but I pretended not to notice her. She then took a
pinch of vegetable curry and put it on top of the rice and ate it. Then she ate
three or four handful of plain rice. Since the plain rice was not going down
her throat she pulled out a plastic bottle with water from her bag and gulped down some water.
Again she took little vegetable curry and ate it with the rice. Then she
repeated the procedure of eating three or four handful of plain rice and gulp
down some water. In this way she finished eating the entire rice. Then she got up, took the containers to the nearby tap, washed them, put them
back in her bag.and walked away. May be she didn’t have enough money to
buy a decent meal, I thought. But she looked very strong and healthy whereas I
was sitting there feeling sick, tired and sleepy on account of over eating.

So this brings us back to the question HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT? I am sure you
have your own views on the subject. Best wishes.

22 comments:

We so overeat. I am guilty of the same. I had serious stomach surgery several years ago and came to realize that I tend to eat to satisify yearnings other than hunger. When I physically could not eat, that was all I thought about. All of our celebrations tend to center around food whether it is a wedding, a birth, an anniversary or even a death. This is an interesting topic.

we really do overeat, most of the time not even realizing that we do so. not only the size of food has increased, but also plate sizes, making it easier and more encouraged to eat more. the food in the world just isn't distributed right in the world. i think it's hard to say how much we should eat, but i think it's also clear that most people do eat too much (myself included). x

we do eat a lot, and we waste a lot as well...to me the distance between the haves and nots is sad..how much should we eat? enough...and not too much...if we all took what we need (not what we want) would we not have enough for all...

Interesting. A friend says to eat only when hungry. Some do tend to eat even when still feeling full. I think we should pay attention to portions... meaning eat only that which you are able to consume and be satisfied. Doctors suggest five small meals a day to aid in the body's digestion of food.

We do eat more than we need, and exercise less. In olden days my parents and grandparents used to work so hard, and they only ate 3 times a day, and that too only lunch which they would eat very early around 8-9 am, then have some light tiffin with their coffee, and then dinner at around 8 pm. Even now in many homes in Chennai they follow this timing for this the most convenient one for them, as they finish off their lunch while it is cooked hot and leave for their work, and take some curd rice or some light tiffen in their lunch box.However, more and more people are tempted to eat too much fast food which is easily available in their office / college canteens, and with more money in their pockets, they don't grudge this temptation.They either don't have the time to exercise, or make time for exercise, or they are mostly very lazy. Can you imagine, i used to see my periappa ride his cycle all the way from Anna Nagar to Besant Nagar just to meet us and have some coffee, and some tit bits made by my mother, and he was in his late sixtiesMy father used to cycle from his place to Avadi, can you imagine anybody doing it now, they would simply die thinking of it.I think we are much better off than the west, where they hog like anything, and the portions served there are huge. There either you have very obese people or very fit people no in between like we get to see in India.I feel once in a while we can give in to temptation, but not make it a habit to keep indulging in unhealthy food.

I’m taking a drug, one of the side effects of which is increased appetite. I try to hold my weight to under 160 pounds, but it’s now at 174, and I’m very distressed. Maybe what this drug is making me feel is what people who get really fat feel all the time.

When I traveled to Italy I expected to see heavy Italians. Much to my surprise the hefty and beefy people that I saw always turned out to be Americans !! I found it embarassing. I hate that we are known for our large portions while so many in the world have not enough to eat.

Husband and I are really working on changing our diet. We've found out the secret is to eat very little meat and carbohydrates. In their place we substitute vegetables and fruit. It's made quite a difference.

I think we should strive to eat moderately most of the time; but on occasion if we overeat, it's okay. I know I have a weakness for sweets, which I think it's highly unlikely that I'll conquer... I also know I need to exercise more. Interesting musings...

My philosophy is eat well but eat healthy food. No point starving yourself to stay slim.What you need to do is work more,exercise more to help dissipate your calories.No need to visit a gym.Walk4-5 kms every day..

I would say... Eat half of your stomac... Never eat full!And I think that the lady ate healthy food... On a daily basis that is what is required... But sir, once in a while, indulging in a feast or kabsa is not a bad idea either... So the key is to have a good balance and control of course... or eat several small meals!!!

See to it that you don't eat much at night. Go for morning walks and do yoga or any sort of exercise. Eating well in the morning and afternoon is OK, but non-oily food is better. Drink water as much as you can and definitely first thing in the morning, at least 2-3 cups. Nap for maximum half an hour in the afternoon, if possible. You will be hale and healthy without much problem.

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Hi, my name is Joseph Thomas Pulikotil. I hope you will find my blog interesting, informative and thought provoking.Please feel free to post your comments, opinions, appreciation,improvements, suggestions or whatever you feel. I will surely visit your blog and we will be good friends.